Genesis 27:43 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran

NIV: Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran.

NASB: Now then, my son, obey my voice, and arise, flee to Haran, to my brother Laban!

CSB: So now, my son, listen to me. Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran,

NLT: So listen carefully, my son. Get ready and flee to my brother, Laban, in Haran.

KJV: Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;

NKJV: Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran.

Earlier, Rebekah overheard her husband's plan to bless their oldest twin son, Esau (Genesis 27:1–6). Since she preferred the younger, Jacob, she hatched a plot (Genesis 27:7–14). Working with Jacob, she creates an elaborate disguise which fools the elderly, blind Isaac into blessing the wrong son (Genesis 27:15–17). Esau, of course, is distraught when he finds out that he's been cheated by his brother (Genesis 27:30–35). That despair rapidly turns to white-hot rage, and an intent to murder (Genesis 27:41).

Luckily for Jacob, word of this vengeful hate makes it to Rebekah, who again compels her son Jacob to action. She uses the same language she had employed earlier. Rebekah tells Jacob to "obey [her] voice," as when she compelled him to participate in the scheme to deceive Isaac. Now she commands his obedience again, this time to run away from his murderous brother.

Specifically, she commands Jacob to flee to her brother Laban's house, in Haran, in Mesopotamia. We last saw Laban when Abraham's servant went to Abraham's people looking for a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:1–4). He found Rebekah (Genesis 24:23–28). Her father and her brother Laban agreed to allow her to travel back to Canaan and marry Isaac. That had been many, many years ago.

Now Rebekah is counting on her brother to provide Jacob a place to stay away from Esau. In addition, we will see that she may also want Jacob to find a wife of his own from among her people. At least, that's what she will tell Isaac.

When Abraham and Sarah tried to scheme a solution, they created heartache and a split family (Genesis 16:1–5; 21:9–14). Rebekah's deception of Isaac may have fulfilled a prophecy (Genesis 25:23), but it also created a rift between brothers. And, in her own case, it will mean saying goodbye to her favored son; after this passage, Scripture only mentions Rebekah in reference to her death (Genesis 49:31).

Genesis 27:30–46 describes the aftermath of Jacob's deception of Isaac in order to receive the family blessing. Once Esau arrives and Isaac realizes he has given the blessing to the wrong son, his body begins to tremble in panic. Esau, deeply distraught, cries out in loud and bitter agony. Isaac gives to Esau a leftover blessing that reads like a curse. Esau pledges to kill Jacob once their father has died. Learning of this, Rebekah urges Jacob to run away to live with her brother in Mesopotamia.

Isaac's plan to pass the family blessing on to his favorite son, Esau, is thwarted by the deception of Isaac's wife Rebekah, and his other son Jacob. Old and blind, Isaac fails to recognize that the man claiming to be Esau is actually Jacob in a clever disguise. His prayer of blessing for wealth and rule over his brothers will remain valid though it is given under false pretense. Esau will be left with a blessing that sounds like a curse and a plan to murder his brother. Jacob will be forced to run for his life.

Prior chapters described the prosperity of Isaac, living in the Valley of Gerar. Genesis 27 leaps forward to near the end of Isaac's life. The time has come to pass on the family blessing. Isaac's intention to give that blessing to firstborn, Esau, is thwarted by the deception of Isaac's wife Rebekah and his other son Jacob. Isaac overcomes his suspicions that the man before him is not Esau and delivers the very blessing of God on Jacob. Esau is left with a near-curse and a murderous rage. Rebekah urges Jacob to go to her brother's household, a plan Isaac will endorse in the following chapter. There, he will ironically experience the sting of deception in his own life.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.